At the end of last month, I was swept away by a tune called ‘Fairytale’, the latest single from Los Angeles-based artist Vanda. An intense and emotional ballad, it was Vanda’s breathtaking vocal performance that caught my attention straight away! Simply mesmerizing!
Desperate to know more about this talented musician, I was over the moon when she took the time out to chat with us! Taking us through what ‘Fairytale’ means to her, what success looks like, and her upcoming album ‘Sober In Another Life’, please give a big welcome to our friend Vanda!
Hello and welcome Vanda! I’m really excited to introduce you to our audience! Let’s kick things off with an easy one…Who is Vanda and when did your love affair with music start?
Hi – nice to meet you! Michelle Vanda is my full name, but in 2019 when I decided to start releasing music independently, I chose to drop my first name and go by Vanda! Friends call me V! My love affair with music began at 2 years old! I’m lucky to come from a family of all musicians so being surrounded by music from birth is a big contributing factor to my passion and love for music!
Congrats on your brand new single ‘Fairytale’! It was my introduction to your music so it’ll always be a special tune for me, but what does the track mean to you?
That makes me so happy! ‘Fairytale’ is definitely a special one for me personally. I wrote it at a time in my life when things felt stagnant and stale, and struggling with the idea that the magic I experienced in my youth was fading away and what that meant for my overall happiness moving forward. The song marks a big transitional period for me that I think many people go through at different stages in life.
I know the song will form part of your upcoming debut album ‘Sober’. Do you have a release date in mind, and how excited are you to finally release a full-length album?
The full title is ‘Sober In Another Life’ and wow yeah, releasing an album has been a dream of mine since I started creating music so I couldn’t be more excited. I lost my best friend this past May, so of course, it set the timeline back quite a bit but I was able to add a couple of songs dedicated to her which is the most important thing for me but now, it’s looking like sometime in January!
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
I take inspiration from so many different artists like Noah Cyrus, Audrey Nuna, Chiiild, Ashnikko, Post Malone, BENEE, and Fletcher to name a few. But there’s more!
If you were allowed to “steal” one song in the world and claim it as your own, what would it be and why?
Either Ashnikko’s ‘Daisy’ or BENEE’s ‘Glitter’
What, to you, is music’s role in society?
Music is an escape but also a bridge to connect each other’s experiences, feelings and ideas. Music can help you explore the thoughts and questions you didn’t realize others shared – it’s universal and a reminder we are all uniquely one and the same!
Success is such a broad term with different meanings for everyone. What would “being successful” in the music industry look like to you?
Being able to make music and pay my bills – that is success to me! When I can dedicate 100% of my time to my craft, that is succeeding to me. Everything else is just a plus!
You’ve been given the chance to collaborate with any musician or band. Who do you choose?
Chiiild – I’ve recently discovered his music and I am just utterly blown away by his thought process when it comes to arranging and creating. I would love to just watch him work and take notes on why he makes the decisions he makes because they are quite impressive and inspiring.
I can’t wait to hear ‘Sober’! Once it’s released, what do you have next in store?
I’m going to be focusing on live shows in 2024, but also continuing to roll out singles!
